Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 20 April 2023

Last Updated: 30 January 2024

https://www.goutstar.com/privacypolicy/

Sections:

  1. Introduction
  2. Legal Basis for Processing the Personal Data
  3. Personal Data We Collect and How It is Used
  4. Purpose of the Processing
  5. Options
  6. Data retention period
  7. Data Recipients
  8. Who Has Access to The Data We Collect
  9. Procedures to Protect Personal Data
  10. Data Protection Rights
  11. Information about Cookies
  12. Requirements
  13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
  14. Contact Us


1.      Introduction

Gout Star (“Gout Star”, “GOUT STAR”, “Company”, “our”, “we”, “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy.

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how we collect, use, and disclose personal data we collect from or about you in connection with our website located at www.goutstar.com (the “Site”) and through the provision of our products and services on all platforms including the Site (collectively the “Services”).

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant change by providing a notice on our website or, if you are a customer, by whatever other means upon which we have mutually agreed. The current version of this Policy may be found at https://www.goutstar.com/privacypolicy/ . By using the Services, you acknowledge your consent to the practices described in this Policy and to the Terms of Use located here: https://www.goutstar.com/terms/.


Pursuant to applicable data protection laws, bear in mind that:

  • If you live in a country that is a member of the European Economic Area, the way your data is processed and the current Privacy Policy shall be governed by the General Data Protection Regulation or Regulation [UE] 2016/679 ("GDPR").
  • If you live in a country outside the European Economic Area, collection of your personal data shall be governed according to the privacy laws of the State of California, United States of America.

The company responsible for personal data is Amavalon Inc. dba Gout Star, 12337 Seal Beach Blvd. #1036, Seal Beach, California 90740, United States. To contact us, you may send an email to hello@goutstar.com.

If information indicated as required is not provided, we might be unable to process your user account registration or the use of certain Services available in the Platform.

In order to register and navigate our Services, you need to be 18 or older. We may use your personal information to verify your age and ensure the enforcement of this restriction.

 

2.      Legal basis for processing personal data

Collection and processing of your personal data is based primarily in the contractual and/or non-contractual relationship you have with us.

When we send you newsletters and Services or when we use the email you have provided us to contact you individually or to recognize you when you return to visit the Site, we are doing so under the informed consent you provide.

How we process the information collected by our cookies is based in the informed consent you provide, pursuant to current legislation.

3.      Personal Data We Collect 


Information You Give Us.

The amount and type of information that we gather depends on the nature of the interaction. For example, we ask visitors who would like to comment on our blog to provide a username and email address. Those who purchase Services from us are asked to provide additional information including, as necessary, the personal and financial information required to process transactions. In each case, we collect such information only insofar as is necessary or appropriate to fulfill the purpose of your interaction with us. You can always refuse to supply personal data; however, doing so may prevent you from receiving our Services or engaging in other activities on the Site. In no event will we ever request sensitive personal data (for example, health information, religious preferences, etc.) from you, and we expressly request that you not provide any such sensitive personal data to us.

Below are the most common interactions on our Site:

  • In order to register for our Services and identify yourself, we will request your email and date of birth.
  • To buy or subscribe to our paid services, including subscription plans, we will request your credit card or debit information, including expiration date and CVV. If you are paying with PayPal, we will request the email associated to your PayPal account, and we will redirect you to that payment platform. If you request an invoice, we will request your invoicing data, if needed.
  • Name, email address, for newsletters.When you sign up to receive a freebie on the Site, you give your consent to receive periodic newsletters from us relevant to the content you see on the Site. The content of these emails may include product and service promotions, along with content we deem appropriate to send you.
  • Name, email address, billing information, payment information, when a purchase is made.If you purchase anything from the Site or through our Services, the above information is collected and stored. This information is not used for any further purpose unless an issue regarding the purchase arises.
  • Name, email address when any of the contact forms are used.If you use any of the contact forms on our Site to send a message, your name and email address are stored and further used to send you replies. Other than to respond to your inquiry made via the contact forms, these pieces of information are not used for any further purposes.
  • Name, email address, when a comment is left on the blog posts.When visitors leave comments on the Site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt-in to save your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

 

Web Server Logs and Web Traffic. 

When you visit or use our Services, we register non-personal data (data not relating to an identified or identifiable natural person) such as browser and device data (IP address, device type, unique user device number, device manufacturer and model, type of browser or operating system, dates and times of use, screen resolution, plug- ins, add-ons, location, and the version of the Services you are using.), cookies (time spent on the Services, pages visited, and email campaign performance), and aggregate information (data about how you use the Services combined with data about how others use the Services in order to help us better develop new features and tailor the Services).  We use analytical software to help us understand this information. This software sends information to its licensor. Other sites and companies may also use this software. As a result, the licensor may collect information that, when aggregated by them, allows them to identify you individually. We have no responsibility for this collection and use.

We use information when you log in, when you read our emails, and Internet protocol ("IP") addresses to identify you and register your use in the Services.

We do not make decisions based on profiles, beyond personalization of advertisement and for the purpose of the legitimate prevention of Internet fraud.

We obtain information through other platforms, for example, when you register via Google or similar technologies. This might include personal texts or images available in an external website.

4.      Purpose of the processing

How we use your data

We will process your personal data for the following purposes:

  1. To allow you to use and interact with the Site;
  2. To provide the Services to you as our customer;
  3. To inform our continued development of the Site and the Services;
  4. To communicate with you from time to time in response to your requests for information or as may be relevant to your account with us;
  5. To send marketing communications related to the services we provide;
  6. As required by applicable law or legal requirements pertaining to records retention or for internal administrative purposes; or
  7. As specifically authorized by you in writing.
  8. Manage your registration / account as Site user, to identify you and give you access to Services available for registered Site users.
  9. The development, compliance and execution of the contract for the provision of services such as the sale of or subscription to courses or any other contract we might have through the Services. You will need to keep in mind that:
  • You expressly authorize us to process the data indicated as required for activation and payment processing.
  • The card's security code (CVV or CVC) will only be used to process the purchase in course and will not be stored or processed afterwards, as part of your payment information.
  • The consent for the activation of this feature allows your data to autofill in future purchases, so you do not need to re-enter payment information every time you make a purchase.
  • The data enter will be assumed valid and current in future purchases.
  • You will be able to modify or delete your credit cards or PayPal account at any time through the payment method in the purchase form or through the payment method setting in your subscription.
  • We store and release card information in accordance to international confidentiality and security standards for credit and debit cards. For security reasons, the use of this feature might require changing of your password.
  • Remember, the safety of the Services also depends on the correct use and storage of confidential passwords.
  1. Contacting you through email regarding updates or information related to features, products or services contracted, including security updates, as long as they are needed or reasonable.
  2. Respond to any request or inquiry you make through the customer service channels available through the Services.
  3. We also use your information to generate aggregated non-identifying data, for example, to generate statistics regarding our users, number of impressions or clicks in a specific course or project or visitor demographics.

Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data Under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you are from the European Economic Area (EEA), the legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described in this Privacy Policy depends on the Personal Data we collect and the specific context in which we collect it.

We may process your Personal Data because:

  • We need to perform a contract with you
  • You have given us permission to do so
  • The processing is in our legitimate interests and it’s not overridden by your rights
  • For payment processing purposes
  • To comply with the law

Retention of Data. Personal data may be retained for as short as a period of one year or as long as an indefinite period of time. If you are concerned about data retention and wish to make sure you want your information removed, please email us at info@goutstar.com.

Transfer Of Data. Your information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to – and maintained on – computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from your jurisdiction.

If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data, including personal data, to the United States and process it there.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.


5.      Options

The provision of our Services might entail the use of your personal data, with your express consent, to make available to you personalized advertisement related to our products and services, through emails or other electronic communication means from us or third-party collaborators. With the goal of improving our services, please know that personal information regarding your purchases, interests and preferences might be used by us for the purpose of analysis, user profiling, marketing studies, quality surveys, and improving interaction with our clients.

If you do not want to receive certain type of email communications, simply access the Notifications section under Edit Profile to manage your preferences.

Likewise, you will be able to cancel your notifications by following the instructions in each notice you receive.

6.      Data retention period

We will retain your personal data for as long as we have a valid contractual relationship, and after that, for the period determined by any obligations arisen from the treatment of the data or as established by law.


7.      Data Recipients

To comply with the purposes indicated in this Privacy Policy, it might be necessary to report or release your personal data to third parties for the following reasons:

  • Business Transfers: in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merge or sale, or any other transfer of assets, including personal, provided that the receiving party accepts to process your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
  • Service Providers: in order to provide services in our name or to help us provide our services. For example, we contract service providers to render marketing, advertising, communication, infrastructure and IT services, to customize and improve our service, to process credit card transactions or other methods of payment, provide customer service, collect debts, analyze and improve data (such as data regarding user interaction with our services), and process and manage satisfaction surveys. For efficiency purposes, these partners and providers may be based in the United States or other countries or territories outside of the European Economic Area, and might not provide a data protection level comparable to that of your country, or the European Union's.

When you accept this Policy, you are specifically authorizing us to process and report your personal data to the partners mentioned and/or release your personal data to the service providers as processors located outside of the European Economic Area for the purposes described herein and to provide you complete service. When we release personal information when exchanging data with countries outside the European Economic Area and other areas with data protection laws, we will ensure the information is being transferred in compliance with this Policy and pursuant to current data protection laws.

8.      Who Has Access to the Data We Collect

The Services are managed with the WordPress Content Management System (CMS) hosted by WP Engine (https://www.wpengine.com) . The Site was built with a modified version of the Zeen theme.  We rely on several plugins to help us run this website and provide a smooth experience to our readers, visitors, and subscribers, including, but not limited to, Elementor Pro WordPress page builder, JetPack for security and performance, WooCommerce for selling products, and CookieYes to obtain GDPR Cookie consent and Terms of Service consent. We use ConvertKit for email marketing, email list building, and to email content to our subscribers.

We process and have access to the data we collect from you. We use third parties to assist us with processing your personal data including the following categories of recipients. We remain responsible for compliance with this Privacy Policy by third parties to whom we disclose your personal data.

Payment Processors

Email Newsletter/Marketing Software

GDPR Cookie Consent / Terms of Service Consent

WordPress Platform/Hosting Services/Backups/Malware Scanning/Anti-Spam Protection

Disclosure to Third Parties. We will not disclose your personal data to third parties except as follows:

  • When we believe disclosure is reasonably required to comply with any law or legal request;
  • To enforce our legal and contractual rights, or to protect the rights and safety of others;
  • To third parties who help us provide any part of the Site or the Services, to the limited extent required for such help, and on condition that they may not further disclose your data or use it for any other purpose; or
  • As part of a sale of our assets or a merger of our company.

“Do Not Track” Signals. We do not support Do Not Track (“DNT”). Do Not Track is a preference you can set in your web browser to inform websites that you do not want to be tracked. You can enable or disable Do Not Track by visiting the Preferences or Settings page of your web browser.

 

Other Services That May Track Your Data

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Site. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network. You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity

AIOSEO Pro is a fee-based Word Press plug-in that allows optimization of the Site and improve its ranking in search results by following SEO (search engine optimization) best practices. A higher rank boosts the chance of people discovering the Site, bringing in more traffic. AIO SEO is integrated with Google Search Console, which provides access to traffic insights and other website performance analytics.

9.      Procedures to Protect Personal Data

We have put in place reasonable measures and appropriate procedures for implementing these policies and for safeguarding the personal data we collect. However, we cannot guarantee that personal data we collect will never be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this Policy. We follow generally accepted standards to protect the personal data submitted to us, both during transmission and once it is received.

Your Rights over Personal Data that We Control. Upon request, we will provide you with details regarding your personal data that has been collected by us or which is under our control. If you would like to change information that we maintain about you, you may log into your account and change it or submit a support request for any information to which you don’t have access or the ability to change yourself. Information covered by this Privacy Policy may be deleted upon your request, provided that such deletion may impact our ability to provide you with the Services. You may also request that we update or correct your personal data by writing us at: Gout Star c/o Amavalon Inc., 12337 Seal Beach Blvd. Ste. 1036, Seal Beach, CA 90740, or by sending an email to hello@goutstar.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe. You may opt-out of receiving most emails from us by following the “unsubscribe” instructions provided in the emails. Alternatively, you may contact us as described herein. If you are our customer, you may not be able to opt out of all emails, including certain administrative or billing communications which are important to the ongoing maintenance of your account. We may keep your personal data for as long as reasonably required to meet the purposes described herein. Additionally, we will retain this information as required by law, as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Your Data Protection Rights Under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights. We aim to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete, or limit the use of your Personal Data.

If you wish to be informed what personal data we hold about you and if you want it to be removed from our systems, please email us at hello@goutstar.com.

In certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights:

  • The right to access, update or to delete the information we have on you. Whenever made possible, you can access, update or request deletion of your Personal Data directly within your account settings section. If you are unable to perform these actions yourself, please contact us to assist you.
  • The right of rectification. You have the right to have your information rectified if that information is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • The right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your Personal Data.
  • The right of restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information.
  • The right to data portability. You have the right to be provided with a copy of the information we have on you in a structured, machine-readable and commonly used format.
  • The right to withdraw consent. You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where we relied on your consent to process your personal information.
  • Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests.
  • You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your Personal Data. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority in the European Economic Area (EEA).

California Residents. If you are a resident of the State of California, this Section addresses your rights and our obligations under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and California Privacy Rights Act of 2023 (collectively the “California Privacy Laws”). Terms used in this Section have the same meaning as provided in the California Privacy Laws.

  • Information We Collect Our Site collects information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or device (“personal information”). In particular, our Site has collected the following categories of personal information from visitors within the last 12 months: 
    • Category: Identifiers. Examples: A real name, IP address, email address, account name, or other similar identifiers. 
    • Category: Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)). Examples: A name, address, telephone number.
    • Category: Internet or other similar network activity. Examples: Browsing history, search history, information on a consumer’s interaction with a website, application, or advertisement.
    • Category: Geolocation data. Examples: Physical location or movements.
  • Personal information does not include:
    • Publicly available information from government records.
    • De-identified or aggregated consumer information.
    • Information excluded from the California Privacy Laws’ scope.
  • We obtain the categories of personal information listed above from the following categories of sources:
    • Directly from you. For example, from forms you complete on our website.
    • Indirectly from you. For example, from observing your actions on our Site or interactions with our advertisers.
  • Use of Personal Information. We may use, or disclose the personal information we collect for one or more of the following business purposes:
    • To fulfill or meet the reason you provided the information. For example, if you share your name and contact information to request a price quote or ask a question about our products or services, we will use that personal information to respond to your inquiry. If you provide your personal information to purchase a product or service, we will use that information to process your payment and facilitate delivery. We may also save your information to facilitate new product orders or process returns.
    • To provide you with support and to respond to your inquiries, including to investigate and address your concerns and monitor and improve our responses.
    • To respond to law enforcement requests and as required by applicable law, court order, or governmental regulations.
    • As described to you when collecting your personal information or as otherwise set forth in the California Privacy Laws.
    • We will not collect additional categories of personal information or use the personal information we collected for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes without providing you notice.
  • Sharing Personal Information. We disclose all of the above categories of personal information to our third-party service providers subject, in each case, to a written contract that describes the business purpose of the disclosure and requires the recipient to both keep that personal information confidential and not use it for any purpose except performing the contract.
  • Sales of Personal Information. We do not and will not sell your personal information.
  • Access to Specific Information and Data Portability Rights. You have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection and use of your personal information over the past 12 months. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will provide:
    • The categories of personal information we collected about you.
    • The categories of sources for the personal information we collected about you.
    • Our business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling that personal information.
    • The categories of third parties with whom we share that personal information.
    • The specific pieces of personal information we collected about you (also called a data portability request).
    • The categories of personal information we sold to a purchaser, and the categories of recipients.
    • The categories of personal information we disclosed for a business purpose, and the categories of recipients.
  • Deletion Request Rights. You have the right to request that we delete any of your personal information that we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your personal information from our records, unless an exception applies. We may deny your deletion request if retaining the information is necessary for us or our service provider(s) to:
    • Complete the transaction for which we collected the personal information, provide a good or service that you requested, take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you, or otherwise perform our contract with you.
    • Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities.
    • Debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.
    • Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law.
    • Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code § 1546 et. seq.).
    • Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when the information’s deletion may likely render impossible or seriously impair the research’s achievement, if you previously provided informed consent.
    • Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with consumer expectations based on your relationship with us.
    • Comply with a legal obligation.
    • Make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which you provided it.
  • Exercising Access, Data Portability, and Deletion Rights. To exercise the access, data portability, and deletion rights described above, you can contact us by email at info@goutstar.com or by phone at (562) 222-0298. Only you, or a person registered with the California Secretary of State that you authorize to act on your behalf, may make a verifiable consumer request related to your personal information. You may also make a verifiable consumer request on behalf of your minor child. You may only make a verifiable consumer request for access or data portability twice within a 12-month period. The verifiable consumer request must:
    • Provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify you are the person about whom we collected personal information or an authorized representative.
    • Describe your request with sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it.
  • We cannot respond to your request or provide you with personal information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the personal information relates to you. We will only use personal information provided in a verifiable consumer request to verify the requestor’s identity or authority to make the request.
  • Response Timing and Format. We endeavor to respond to a verifiable consumer request within 45 days of its receipt. If we require more time, we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing. We will deliver our written response by mail or electronically, at your option. Any disclosures we provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding our receipt of your request. The response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply with a request, if applicable. For data portability requests, we will select a format to provide your personal information that is readily useable and should allow you to transmit the information from one entity to another entity without hindrance, specifically by electronic mail communication.
  • We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.
  • Non-Discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your California Privacy Laws rights. Unless permitted by the California Privacy Laws, we will not:
    • Deny you goods or services.
    • Charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties.
    • Provide you a different level or quality of goods or services.
    • Suggest that you may receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.
  • However, we may offer you certain financial incentives permitted by the California Privacy Laws that can result in different prices, rates, or quality levels. Any California Privacy Laws-permitted financial incentive we offer will reasonably relate to your personal information’s value and contain written terms that describe the program’s material aspects. Participation in a financial incentive program requires your prior opt in consent, which you may revoke at any time.
  • California’s “Shine the Light” law (Civil Code Section § 1798.83) permits users of our Site that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send us an electronic message through our website or write us at our address listed on our webpage.

10.  Data Protection Rights

We are committed to respecting the confidential nature of your personal data and guaranteeing the full exercise of these rights. At all times, you will have the following rights:

  1. Right to access. You have the right to confirm whether we are processing your personal data and, if we are, you have the right to obtain a copy of such data and information regarding the processing.
  2. Right to amend. You have the right to correct errors, modify incomplete or wrong data and guarantee the authenticity of the information that is being processed.
  3. Right to delete. You have the right to request the deletion of your data without undue delay, if it were being processed wrongfully or if the end to which it was processed or collected has ceased to exist.
  4. Right to limitation of processing. You have the right to request that the suspension of the processing of your information if it is illegal or the accuracy of the data has been contested.
  5. Right to oppose. You have the right to oppose to the processing of your data when it has been used for purposes of direct marketing or when the processing must be terminated due to a personal situation, except when there is legitimate interest or it is necessary for the exercise or defense of claims.
  6. Right not to be subjected to personalized decisions. You have the right of not being subjected to a decision based solely on the automatic processing of your data, including profiling, with binding legal effects or which affects you, except when necessary for the execution of an agreement, as permitted by the law or if you have expressly authorized it.

In order to exercise these rights, please send an email to info@goutstar.com indicating your (i) identity, by sharing your full name and email address used to register or make a purchase at the Site, an ID to establish your identity, and (ii) the right or rights you're exercising.

You may also visit the agency overseeing the protection of data in your country to file a claim or request the protection of your rights, if deemed necessary.

The exercise of such rights is free, except when requests are deliberately unfounded or excessive, in which case the individual will be required to bear the processing costs.

11.  Information about cookies

We use cookies, small files with information regarding your navigation on the Site, mainly to enable a better user experience. Please read our Cookies Policy at https://www.goutstar.com/cookiespolicy/ to know more about the cookies we use, their purpose, and other useful information.

12.  Requirements

In compliance with the Privacy Shield Principles, we commit to resolve complaints about our collection or use of your personal information.  European Union individuals with inquiries or complaints regarding our Privacy Shield policy should first contact us at hello@goutstar.com.

13.  Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page https://www.goutstar.com/privacypolicy/

14.  Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please email us at hello@goutstar.com.

Copyright (c) Gout Star |  Terms of Use  |  Privacy  |  Cookies  |  Ask for Help  |  Buy Us A Coffee